Vending machine



Nov. 8, 1932. H. GILES VENDING MACHINE I Original Filed Aug. 50, 1929 3Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 6593/45 @456 BY TTORNEY VENDING MACHINE OriginalFiled Aug. 30, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR RNEY H. GILESVENDINGMACHINE Npv. s, 1932.

Original Filed Aug. 30, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 6 ATTORNEY HARVEY GILES, OF.IB ROOKLY'N, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO COLLIER ADVERTISING" Patented Nov.8, 1932 UNITED "STATES Parent OFFICE? SERVICE, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,A. CORPORATIONOF DELAWARE VENDING MACHINE Original applicationflledAugust 30, 1929, Serial No. 389,357,.now Patent No. 1,861,212, dated May31,1932.

Divided and this application'filed March 25, 1931. i

nomination is deposited in the machine, and

is more particularly concerned with an improvement in the means forengaging and delivering the articles. The present application is adivision of my copending application Serial No. 389,357, filed August30, 1929,

which has matured into Patent No. 1,861,212 dated May 31,1932.

Oneobject of the invention is to provide an improved article deliverymeans having article engaging fingers which can be arranged to engagewith articles of different sizes at substantially the samerelative-points of engagement, thereby assuring even and proper deliveryirrespective of the sizes of the articles. Another object of theinvention is to provide the article delivery means of a vending machinein whichthe articles areheld in vertical hoppers with article engagingand delivery fingers which are constructed and arranged to have aminimum of frictional contact with the articles to be delivered, therebyassuring delivery of thearticles in undamaged condition. To theaccomplishment of these objects the invention consists in the improvedvending machine parts hereinafterfully described and then particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of theinvention only so much of the complete coin-controlled vending machineillustrated and described in said application is herein shown as isnecessary to an understanding of the location and function of thepartsconstituting the present invention in a vending machine. Figure 1 is avertical longitudinal section through the hopper of the vending machineand showing the associated parts of the article delivery means;

Fig. 2 is a 'top plan of the parts shown in Fig. 1, and in addition atop plan of certain parts of the coin-controlled actuating mechanismshown in saidapplication; Fig. 3 isa front elevation of. the improvedarticle engaging and delivery fingers; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan of theparts shown in Fig. 3, the view Serial No. 525,076.

being taken on the line H of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the fingers in adifi'erentposition to accommodate articles of another size The improveddelivery means is shown applied to a vending machine which comprises,for the purposes of the present disclosure, a casing having a front wall10, a rear wall 11, and two end walls 12 (only one of which is shown).Within the casing is located an upright hopper'for containing thearticles 14 to be vended. The hopper comprises four corner uprights 15consisting ofangle i'rons'the flanges of which are of suflicient widthto confine the articles and guide them downwardly into position to beacted on by the article delivery means. The lowermost article issupported at its ends on the internal ledges 17 of the plates 18to'which the lower ends of the rear pair of uprights '15 are adjustablysecured by the screws 19. The plates 18 are mounted on the two end walls20 of a frame which supports the parts of the article delivery means aswellas the hopper and its contained articles. The front pair of uprights15 are secured 'at their lower ends to the inturned front ends of theplates 18.

a The articles are delivered one by one from the hopper by pushingforwardly on the lowermost article and thus ejecting it from themachine. For this purpose the improved article delivery means comprisesa slide 22 arranged to reciprocate forwardly and backwardly underthe'hopper.v Theends of the slide project through horizontal slots 24 inthe walls 20 and the slide is thus guided in its reciprocatorymovements. The extremities of the slide extend beyond the walls 20 andeach extremity carries a pin 25 which is loosely received in the slottedupper end of fit) guard which it swings upwardly, as shown at 31, andthen drops down into the receptacle 32 in position to be removed by thepurchaser.

The article engaging means comprises two spring-pressed fingers of novelconstruction mounted on the slide 22. The fingers, indicated generallyat 35 are alike in mode of operation, but are of reverse construction sothat they may be accommodated to relatively long articles or torelatively short articles. When long articles are in the machine thefingers 35 occupy the positionsshown in Fig. 3 with the upright portions36 of the fingers spaced relatively far apart; and when short articlesare in the machine, the fingers occupy the position shown in Fig. 5 withthe upright portions 36 relativelv close together. Each finger 35consists of the upright, curved portion 36 rising from a horizontallydisposed portion or arm 37 pivoted at one end on the front of the slide,and of a tail portion..38 extending rearwardly from the upper end of theupright portion 36. The fingers are pivotally mounted at the end of thehorizontal portion 37 opposite to the upright portion 36 and tailportion 38. A spring 40 fastened at one end to a pin fixed in thedepending lug portion 41 of each finger and to a pin 42 fixed in theslide 22 tends to hold the fingers in elevated, article engagingposition, that is to say, with the upright portions 36 in the positionshown in Figs. 3 and 5. An adjustment screw 45 threaded into the lug 4-6turned inwardly from the lower edge of the horizontal portion 37 of eachfinger cooperates with the bottom of the slide to regulate the height ofthe upright portions 36 relatively to the thickness of the articles. Toguide the fingers in their pivotal movements on the slide, each uprightportion 36 is provided with an arcuate slot 47 which receives loosely acap screw 48 secured in the front of the slide.

' Assuming that parts of the article delivery means are in normal,retracted position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the upright portions 36of the fingers will be to the rear of the lowermost article in positionto engage and push it forward from under the superincumbent pile ofarticles in the hopper on the next forward movement of the slide whichwill take place when a coin has been deposited in the machine and thearms 26 swung forward.

Inasmuch as the slide 22 is located fully below the hopper, the work ofejecting the lowermost article from the hopper entirely performed by thefingers 35. The article e]ecting movement of the slide and the fingersis such that the upright portions 36' of the fingers remain in contactwith the rear face of the article being ejected until it has been pushedoff the forward ends of the ledges 17. Until the lowermost article ispushed from under the pile of articles in the hopper the uprightportions of the fingers remain raised. Immediately the ejected articlepasses from beneath the pile, the now lowest article descends onto thetail portions 38 of the fingers and depresses them against he action ofthe springs 40. This arrangement permits the slide to move rearwardlyinto retracted position, under the action of the spring 28, inasmuch asthe tail portions of the fingers are easily carried from under the nowlowermost article without disturbing or injuring it. When the slide 22is again n retracted position with the fingers freed from the article,the springs 4.0 return the upright portions 36 of the fingers intoraised, article engaging position.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. A vendingmachine of the character described having in combination, a verticallyarrangedhopper for containing a pile of the articles to be vended, andan article dellvery means comprising,. a reciprocating slide mounted toreciprocate forward and backward under the hopper, means forreciproeating the slide, two fingers pivotally mounted on the slide andconsisting of an upright portion adapted to be positioned to the rear ofthe lowermost article of the hopper when the slide is in its rearmostposition and a tail portion extending rearwarly from the upright portionand adapted to contact with the lowermost article in the hopper on therearward movement of the slide after delivering an article, and meansfor raising the fingers when the slide is in its rearmost position, saidslide having provision whereby the positions of the fingers may beinterchanged.

2. In a vending machine of the character described having a hopper forcontaining the articles to be vended and an article delivery meansincluding a slide arranged to reciprocate forward and backward under thearticles, means for reciprocating the slide, an article engaging meansconsisting of a finger pivotally mounted on the front of said slide, anupright portion projecting upwardly from the finger and having anarcuate slot adapted to receive loosely a pin secured in the slide, thefront face of said upright portion of the article engaging means beingadapted to engage and deliver an article on the forward movement of theslide, a tail portion cone sisting of a horizontally extending part bent1 rearwardly from the upright portion and adapted to engage with and bedepressed by the lowermost article on the rearward movement of the slideafter an article has been de livered, and a spring for raising thearticleengaging means into article engaging position when the slide isin its rearmost position.

3. In a Vending machine of the character described having an uprighthopper for containing the articles to be vended and an article deliverymeans including a slide arranged to reciprocate forward and backwardunder the articles, means for reciprocating the slide, a pair of articleengaging fingers mounted on the front side of the slide, each fingerconsisting of a longitudinal. portion pivoted at one end to the slide,an upright portion rising from the unpivoted end of the longitudinalportion, and a tail portion projecting rearwardly from the uprightportion, a spring for holding the upright portion raised when the slideis in normal position to the rear of the articles, and said slide havingprovision whereby the positions of the fingers on the slide may bechanged.

4. A vending machine of the character described having in combination, avertically arranged hopper for containing a pile of articles to bevended, and an article delivery means comprising, a frame located underand adapted to support the hopper, two vertically arranged arms pivotedat their lower ends in the frame and adapted to be swung forwardly andbackwardly, means for swinging the arms, a slide mounted to reciprocateforward and backward in the upper part of the frame and under thehopper, said slide being loosely connected with the upper ends of thearms to be actuated thereby, a finger pivotally mounted on the frontface of the slide for engaging an article on the forward movement of theslide to deliver the-article from the machine, said finger having ahorizontal portion extending parallel to the front of the slide andprovided with a slotted vertical portion, a pin projecting from theslide and entering the slot inthe vertical portion of the finger, and atail piece on the finger comprising a rearwardly bent part located atthe upper end of the vertically extending portion of the finger.

HARVEY GILES.

